This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
‘Fix rooms’ for Glasgow drug addicts to receive green light
The Glasgow City Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) is set to agree on controversial plans to create ‘fix rooms’ which enable drug addicts to inject safely and under supervision.
Members of the health board, the city council and police are expected to agree the idea in principle, which aims to address problems caused by heroin users in Glasgow.
The proposal also includes plans to issue medical-grade heroin to inject under supervision and is set to be considered by the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board.
If approved, the facility will be the first of its kind in the UK, with similar schemes already in operation in countries such as Australia, Germany, France, Holland and Switzerland.
The ADP argued that those who inject on the streets are responsible for the majority of discarded needles which pose a health risk and contribute to public order problems.
It also said street users experience problems such as homelessness, mental health issues and poverty, and are at heightened risk of blood-borne viruses, overdose and drug-related death, as well as other injecting-related complications.
David Liddell, director of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said: “I know it's been highlighted as controversial, but when you see that these have been running in many countries in Europe for a long time - Holland for example now has 31 drug consumption rooms and Germany has 24.
"These are in addition to the existing provision. The key point is we have people who are mostly long-term users - people have been using for more than 20 years or more. Abstinence recovery is not on their immediate horizon.
Dr Emilia Crighton, director of public health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and vice-chairwoman of the ADP, commented: Nowadays we see that actually that most of Europe is providing addiction services.
"There are safe consumption rooms - Switzerland has a model where there is heroin-assisted treatment and opiates-replacement treatment that satisfies the needs of the population.
"So we really have to find a solution that brings the solutions elsewhere in the world to Glasgow."
"The most immediate thing for these individuals is the need to keep them alive so they can recover in the future."
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